BBC America

As BBC America’s first original scripted series—and a period piece—Copper had to have some serious muscle behind it. Even with Barry Levinson producing, the show was going to require real buzz to overcome the network’s small footprint in American prime time.

Pulling out the big guns in a legendary launch.

How better to lay down the law than with a “station domination?” Taking over every ad space in the Times Square subway station, the launch campaign immersed passersby in Copper’s world—1860s New York, in crime-infested Five Points. Arresting visuals previewed the show’s gritty art direction, with hard-bitten headlines announcing the coming showdown in prime time. Partnered with social media contests to win a trip to New York, it was a full media assault.

In the end, Copper was the last man standing.